Critics Hail Guitar Hero 5

We’ve known how great this game is – the new social features like Party Play and RockFest, the variety of music and the consumer value,” said Dan Rosensweig, president and chief executive officer of Guitar Hero. “It’s rewarding to see that critics and fans agree with us: This is the best Guitar Hero ever.”

From brand new features across all platforms like Party Play and Wii(TM) exclusive features such as Roadie Battle and Nintendo DS(TM) connectivity, to the epic set list, reviewers are pointing out the social, musical and innovative features that make Guitar Hero a pop culture phenomenon. Continuing to transform the way people experience music, Guitar Hero 5 hit store shelves this week with unprecedented music variety featuring an expansive, pulse-pounding 85-song on-disc set list, more than 150 songs available via downloadable content, and the capability to import select songs from other Guitar Hero games. The Guitar Hero franchise is one of the fastest growing video game franchises ever with more than $2 billion in retail sales worldwide according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and GfK, and renowned media outlets are already weighing in with glowing reactions and solid review scores for Guitar Hero 5.

Featuring some of music’s leading bands and artists across a multitude of genres, the ability for players to rock any way they want with any combination of multiple guitarists, bassists, drummers and singers in any game mode, Guitar Hero 5 allows players to step into the spotlight as iconic rockers of the past, present and future with an all-star line-up of in-game playable characters, including Kurt Cobain, Johnny Cash, Carlos Santana, Garbage’s Shirley Manson and Matt Bellamy of Muse. For a limited time, consumers who purchase Guitar Hero 5 will receive the unreleased Guitar Hero(R) Van Halen(R) when they mail in their proof of purchase.

The entire set list is at players’ finger tips from the start, featuring genre-defining hits from some of the biggest rock artists and bands of all time, including The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes, Kings of Leon, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Vampire Weekend. Players take complete control as Guitar Hero 5 allows gamers to personalize and customize how they experience music by being able to play with any in-game instrument combination — multiple vocalists, guitarists, bassists and drummers, in any game mode. With the game’s all-new Party Play Mode, getting the band back together has never been easier. Players can now jump in or drop out of gameplay seamlessly, without interrupting their jam session. Elevating the Guitar Hero series to new heights with unmatched social gameplay, an enhanced style, new in-game artists and more rock legends, Guitar Hero 5 features new surprises and challenges that will fire-up long-time fret board fanatics and create a new generation of addicts.

Additionally, Guitar Hero fans can take center stage and become the rockstar of the show by playing in-game as their own Xbox Avatar. Taking full advantage of the latest technology available from Xbox LIVE(R) online entertainment network, gamers can choose their band mates and mix and match their Xbox Avatars with Guitar Hero favorites like Judy Nails, Axel Steel and Lars Umlaut, or even rip it up alongside in-game talent.

Published by Activision, Guitar Hero 5 is developed by Neversoft Entertainment for Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system, and by Vicarious Visions for the Wii system from Nintendo. Budcat is developing Guitar Hero 5 for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system. The game is rated “T” for “Teen” (mild lyrics, mild suggestive themes) by the ESRB. For more information about Guitar Hero 5, please visit GH5.GuitarHero.com.